Frank Miller Talks The Spirit

Sigh. To be a big enough movie site that I get invited onto the set of big-time movies like Frank Miller’s “The Spirit”. That would just be so grand. But I digress. Moviehole got themselves an invite to the set of “The Spirit”, and got to do a sit-down interview with the film’s director, Frank Miller. Some of the more interesting excerpts below.

QUESTION: What were you just filming over there with Gabriel?
FRANK MILLER: That’s – that was Spirit hunting down the octopus, and going through some of his snipers on the way.

QUESTION: And the rest of the casting? Sam was the only person you wanted as I understand.

FRANK MILLER: You know, from the start I wanted Sam Jackson to play The Octopus, because I’ve always wanted to work with Sam Jackson. The Octopus was always a cipher in the old comics, and I knew we couldn’t go away with two hours of a guy whose face you never see. And so I thought, who would be the perfect nemesis for the spirit? And Sam Jackson came to mind. It seems to me he’s always had a part like this inside him waiting to get out.

QUESTION: How is this movie going to look like Will Eisner?

FRANK MILLER: Well, Will Eisner was a little shorter than I was, and balding. But it’s going to be quite faithful, I think, to Will’s vision as an artist. I’ve often laid out storyboards my way, and then Eisner’s way. And each case, I’ve gone Eisner’s way.

QUESTION: And tonally, are you mixing a lot of comedy with the darkness of the comic? There is a lot of humor in this piece.

FRANK MILLER: It wouldn’t be Will Eisner’s Spirit if it wasn’t.

You gotta love Frank Miller. Hell, I even love his “All-Star Batman and Robin” comics that he’s doing on the side, and pretty much everyone seems to hate that. How could you not love a comic book about the Goddamn Batman? (Readers of the comic will know what I’m talking about…)